The Hart of Christmas
by teachinEnglish
Summary: Frank Radinski is supposed to play Santa Claus at the Hart Industries' annual Christmas party, but he doesn't show up. It turns into a Christmas mystery for the Harts.


The Hart of Christmas

"All right, here's the address. Be there before 9:00. I want the guy in the Santa suit. He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to make me a very rich man."

The two men nodded. "Got it, Boss."

"Don't screw this up."

...

Jennifer's laugh rolled through her husband as he hugged her from behind. "Jonathan, we're going to be late."

He kissed her neck and made her squirm. "We're already late."

Her grin was cheeky. "Oh, and who's fault is that?"

Jonathan turned her around and kissed her thoroughly. "Yours."

She feigned indignation. "Mine? How is it my fault? I was getting dressed when you decided to undress me."

His mouth met hers again. "You're so beautiful. I never seem to be able to control myself around you."

She threw her arms over his shoulders and crossed her wrists behind his neck. "I'll make a deal with you. We'll go to the Christmas party, and you can hand out the Christmas bonuses. Then we can come home, and you can unwrap an early Christmas present."

Her husband's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah?"

Jennifer smiled slowly. "Yeah."

"I like the way you think." He gave her one last kiss before they headed downstairs and out the door to the party. Since Max was at a poker game, they drove themselves downtown.

Jonathan and Jennifer arrived at the hotel ballroom, where the party was already in full swing. They were immediately approached by Stanley Friesen. "Mr. and Mrs. Hart, I'm so glad you're here. We started to think you two weren't coming."

The CEO smiled at his wife. "We planned to be here sooner, but something came up." Jennifer hid her giggle behind a little cough.

"I hope everything is okay."

"It's just fine, Stanley. Thank you."

Stanley seemed a little more wound up than usual. "That's a relief. I know this is supposed to be a party, but it won't be if the big guy doesn't show up."

Jonathan chuckled a little. "I think everyone will have a good time whether I'm here or not, Stanley."

"Oh, no. Not you, Mr. Hart. Although the party is definitely better with you here. I mean the big, Big Guy. You know, Santa. Frank Radinski was supposed to play him, but Frank isn't here. The children are going to be seriously disappointed if Santa doesn't make an appearance.

Looking at his wife with a twinkle in his eye, Jonathan asked, "Well, what do you think, Darling? Shall we go play Mr. and Mrs. Claus?"

Jennifer laughed, but Stanley rained on their parade pretty quickly. "There's only a Santa suit, Mr. Hart." Trying to find a way to make his boss happy anyway, Stanley quickly added, "But Mrs. Hart is already dressed in red. She can be your special helper as you hand out presents. I'll go make sure that everything is laid out for you in the hospitality room."

He pulled Jennifer to him. "I have all sorts of plans for my special helper when we get home."

Laughing at her husband's typical antics, she responded with her usual, "Jonathan."

He handed her the stack of envelopes with his employees' Christmas bonuses in them. "Hang onto these for me, please. I'll give them to the adults after I hand out the toys to the kids."

Giving him a couple of quick kisses, she murmured, "I'll see you soon."

...

It wasn't too long after that, Jonathan emerged through the ballroom doors shouting, "Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas." The children all cried a chorus of excited screams and "Hi, Santa!", and Jennifer could see the glee in her husband's eyes when he sat as the little ones clamored around him. It always amazed her how natural he was with kids of all ages, and while she was happy with their life, occasionally, she wondered what things would be like if they had a child or children together. This was one of those times. Suddenly, his voice broke through her reverie. "Unfortunately, Dinkle, the elf who was supposed to be with me tonight, drank too much cocoa and ate too many candy canes, so he's back at the North Pole with a tummy ache." Jonathan looked around the room, and when his eyes locked with Jennifer's, he winked at her. "I'm hoping that Mrs. Hart will come up and help me hand out the gifts I have for all these wonderful children."

Jennifer made her way to the front of the room, and the passing out of presents commenced to a cacophony of happy noise. As she grabbed the last gift out of the bag, Jennifer stuck the envelopes for the adults inside. When Jonathan picked up the sack, he shook it. "Wait a minute. It seems more presents appeared in my bag." His wife held it open as he dug to the bottom and brought out the bonuses. He'd felt particularly generous this year, and profits had been exceptional. Every employee was given $1,000 for each year of employment. Needless to say, many of the adults were more excited than the children. There were tears and hugs, and finally, a toast to Jonathan and Hart Industries. He leaned over, and his whiskers tickled Jennifer's ear as he spoke to her. "That seems to have started the season off well."

Her eyes filled with love and admiration for the man standing next to her, and she agreed. "Why don't you go change, and we can head home? There's a present waiting to be unwrapped by you."

He laid his finger by his nose and winked. "I'll be back in a flash."

She was still giggling as many of Jonathan's employees thanked her on their way out. Engrossed in conversation, time flew by, but Jonathan didn't come back. Finally, she excused herself from the conversation she was engaged in and headed toward the hospitality room to find her missing husband. Jennifer knocked on the closed door but got no response. "Jonathan?" She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. "Jonathan?" Her stomach knotted, and she headed back to the ballroom to see if she'd somehow missed him in the melee. Not seeing him, she strode to the front desk to ask a manager to open the hospitality room for her.

"I'm Mr. Winston. How may I help you?"

She cut straight to the chase. "Mr. Winston, I'm Jennifer Hart, and my husband is the one who rented the ballroom for the Hart Industries Christmas party this evening. I need to get into the hospitality room, please."

"Your husband has the key for that room, Mrs. Hart."

"Yes. I know that, but he's in the room and not answering the door. I'm concerned."

Mr. Winston came around the front desk and moved toward the hall. "Of course."

When they reached the correct door, he opened it and allowed Jennifer to enter first. She was disappointed to not see her husband, but even more so, she was alarmed to see the disarray of the room. A table was upturned, chairs were on their sides, and her husband's tuxedo jacket and shoes were on the floor with a broken lamp on top of them. Her voice was strained. "Mr. Winston, please call the police and ask specifically for Herschel Grey."

It felt like it took hours for the police to arrive, but it really was only about ten minutes. Herschel came directly to Jennifer while his officers started investigating the room and interviewing guests and employees. "Jennifer, what happened?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Jonathan and I arrived at the party about 7:30. It started at 6:30, but we were running late. When we got here, Stanley Friesen told us that Frank, the man who was supposed to play Santa, wasn't here, so Jonathan stepped in. We passed out presents, and Jonathan headed back to change. That was the last I saw him."

Herschel was busy writing everything down. "Any idea what time he went to change?"

Jennifer rubbed her forehead. "Um, maybe 9:00? Around then, anyway."

"Okay. I'll check and see if we can catch anything on the video surveillance." He looked back through his notes. "What's Frank's last name?"

Jennifer answered automatically. "Radinski. He's the head of Hart Industries' electronics division." She watched as a uniformed policeman approached the lieutenant and angled himself so that she couldn't decipher what was said. "Herschel, what did they find?"

"Jennifer, you know I can't…"

Her fear threatened to overwhelm her, and it came out in an angry burst. "Damn it, Herschel. Don't give me the party line. This is Jonathan we're talking about. Unless I'm a suspect, you need to tell me what you found."

The older man shook his head. "You know I don't think you're a suspect." He sighed and ran his hand through his thinning hair. "They found some blood in the room and in the alley by the service door. It's not a lot, and we'll have it analyzed, but it looks like whoever was dragged out of here was dragged out with force, and from the looks of the room, he obviously put up a fight."

Jennifer bit her lip and fought back the tears. "Please keep me posted with what you find."

He nodded. "I will. Try not to worry."

"Easier said than done." She called a cab to take her home since the keys to the car were with her husband, and Max's poker game was an all-nighter. When she entered the foyer, the house felt empty. It wasn't the first time she'd been alone, but it was the first time she'd been in the house without knowing where her husband was. At least Max would be home sometime in the morning. Freeway padded around the corner and met her as she started to head up the stairs. "C'mon, Boy. Let's go up to bed. Not that I'm going to get any sleep." When she dressed for bed, she went to Jonathan's drawer and pulled out his light blue silk pajama top. She pushed down the idea of him wearing the bottoms and lying next to her.

After tossing and turning for over two hours, Jennifer threw off the covers and rolled out of bed. She put on her husband's robe, inhaled his scent, and wandered downstairs with tears streaming down her face. On autopilot, she went to the piano and ran her fingertips over the frames of the photos gracing the shiny black surface of the baby grand. Sitting on the bench, her fingers ran over the keys. As one of her husband's favorite songs reverberated through the room, so many memories flashed through her mind. London, where they met and fell in love, all while dodging someone trying to kill them both. Skiing in Colorado, carriage rides in New York, sailing to Hawaii, and suddenly, her mind was in Paris when he was held hostage and shot. Knowing Jonathan was in a similar situation chilled her to the bone. Not knowing who had him or why drove her crazy.

Sobs wracked her body, and she didn't hear Max come through the front door. "Mrs. H.? It's two in the morning." When he got closer, he realized she was crying. "What's wrong?"

She stood and threw her arms around the older man. "Oh, Max. Someone's taken Jonathan."

"Took him? Like kidnapped?"

She nodded. "From the party tonight. He'd just played Santa for all the children, and he went back to change so we could come home. He never came back." Sobs overtook her again. "What if he never comes back?"

"That ain't gonna happen. Mr. H. is tough and smart. Those bums are gonna regret taking him."

Jennifer sucked in a ragged breath. "Yeah. Yeah. He's going to be home soon."

"You want I should make you some tea? It'll help you sleep."

She wiped at her eyes. "I'll take the tea, but I know I won't sleep. Not until I hear from Jonathan or Herschel."

Just then, the phone rang.

Chapter 2

The hood that had been placed over Jonathan's head was pulled off, and he blinked against the harsh light in the room. His hands and feet were tied to a metal chair, but the room looked like an office in someone's house. "Thank you for being my guest, Mr. Radinski." When his captor ripped off the Santa beard, he turned on his muscle. "This isn't Frank Radinski."

Jimmy looked at Sam and back at their boss. "You said grab the guy in the Santa suit. He was the only guy in a Santa suit at the party."

Jonathan wondered what they wanted with his head of the electronics division, and he wondered if they knew who they'd actually kidnapped. For now, he would keep his mouth shut and see what he could figure out as they talked. He realized that he didn't recognize any of the men in the room.

Sam chimed in. "He still works for Hart. Maybe he can do what you want."

The boss looked at Sam with utter disdain. "You idiot. He doesn't work for Hart. He is Hart. There is no way he'll do what we want." A sinister gleam entered the man's eyes. "Unless we threaten his wife."

So much for them not knowing who he was. Jonathan's eyes went flat and cold. "Don't even think about hurting Jennifer."

"Oh, Mr. Hart, you don't have any power here. Let's call your house before the bumbling LA police department gets a chance to put a tap on your phone. Right now, they're still busy processing the scene." He looked at Sam and Jimmy pointedly. "Which you both left a mess."

Sam bristled, touched his bruised eye gingerly, and pointed at Jonathan. "It mighta been two on one, but he packs a helluva punch."

The man in charge just shook his head and walked to his desk. Pressing the button for the speakerphone, he looked at Jonathan. "Phone number, please?" Jonathan sat mutely, until Jimmy put a gun to his temple. Reluctantly, he rattled off the seven-digit, unlisted number. As they listened to the ringing through the speaker, the man at the desk smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

Max answered. "Hart residence."

"I need to speak to Mrs. Hart, please."

On his end, Max covered the phone with his hand. "This don't sound like the lieutenant."

Jennifer's hand shook slightly as she took the phone from Max. "This is Jennifer Hart."

"Mrs. Hart, I have your husband, and if you'd like him back alive, you will do exactly what I tell you to do."

Jonathan wanted to shout to her not to do anything, but the open barrel of the gun pressed against his skull kept him silent.

"What do you want?"

"There is something that Frank Radinski is working on for Hart Industries. I want the plans and any prototypes."

At that moment, Jennifer realized that Jonathan wasn't the target, Frank was. "You got the wrong man, didn't you? You meant to take Frank tonight, but you got Jonathan instead."

The man on the other end seethed. "I would watch your tongue, Mrs. Hart. Your husband doesn't have to come home in the same shape you last saw him."

Her blood froze. "Fine. But I won't do anything until I know my husband is all right."

"Say hello to your wife, Mr. Hart. She's concerned about you."

Jonathan desperately wished he had some sort of clue to give her. Unfortunately, he didn't know anything, except for what Frank was working on, and if that got into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous. "Hello, Darling."

"Jonathan? Are you all right?"

"As well as can be expected. Whatever they ask of you, Darling, don't do it."

He could hear the hitch in her voice. "Darling, I won't let them hurt you."

"That's enough. You know he's alive, Mrs. Hart. Go to the office later today and collect all the files and prototypes for a project known as Omniscient. You will do this and be home before nine this morning. Expect a call with further instructions after that. Oh, and Mrs. Hart, do not involve the police in this, or things won't end well for your _darling_."

Jonathan tried pleading with his captor. "That project belongs to the government. It's something we've been developing for the last year. If it falls into the wrong hands, our defense systems will be rendered useless."

Countering, the other man remained calm, but Jonathan could see the fanaticism in his eyes. "And if this government gets it, all other defense systems will be in jeopardy. It's a dog eat dog world, Mr. Hart, and as you can tell, I don't care about anything but the money I'll make from selling it." He stood and walked to the door. "Someone will be in with breakfast for you later."

Jonathan was left alone without a clue as to where he was, who he was with, or how he could stop this transaction from taking place. More than anything, he was worried about his wife. At least she was safe, and she was smart. He just hoped that she could figure out a way to get him out of his current situation.

...

Jennifer stood with the dial tone buzzing in her ear. Hearing it, Max took the receiver out of her hand and replaced it on the cradle. "What'd they want?"

She looked up at him from the barstool she was perched on. "The plans to a government contract that Hart Industries has been working on." She thought for a minute. "They got the wrong man. They actually wanted Frank Radinski, the head of electronics."

"They ended up with a bigger fish."

"Yeah, and that could either work for or against Jonathan."

When the gate buzzer sounded, Max went to the control box on the wall in the foyer. "Yeah?"

"It's Herschel."

"C'mon up." He turned to Jennifer. "I'll go put on some coffee."

"Thanks, Max." Too late, she realized that she was still in Jonathan's robe. At three o'clock in the morning, the police would get what they got. When the doorbell rang, Jennifer answered. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Mrs. Hart."

She moved aside and ushered Hershcel and the other officers in. "Max will have coffee ready soon. Is there anything else we can get you?"

"No, don't go out of your way. We're just here to set up a phone tap and ask some more questions."

Jennifer nodded. "Before you ask questions, I already have answers, and you can't tap my phone."

Herschel gave her a patient look. "Let me guess. They've already contacted you and told you not to get the police involved."

Jennifer nodded. "They told me that they'd hurt Jonathan. I won't risk that, Herschel."

Max came in with coffee and poured several mugs. The lieutenant kept the conversation going, even as he accepted a mug of steaming coffee from Max. "Look, Jennifer, I get your hesitation, but they don't have to know that we're involved. You stand a better chance of getting Jonathan back if you aren't trying to do it on your own."

"Maybe, but the gendarmerie in Paris were not terribly helpful when Jonathan was held hostage before. I mean no disrespect Herschel, but I have to do this my way."

She headed upstairs to shower and change so she could go to Hart Industries and retrieve what she was asked for. When she came back down, the house was empty except for Max and Freeway. Noticing that Max was dressed, she asked the obvious. "I guess you're planning to come with me?"

He took the cigar out of his mouth. "Yeah, and I don't want no arguments."

Jennifer nodded. "Okay. I need to make a phone call before we leave." She checked the address book and located the number she needed. "Frank? This is Jennifer Hart. I know it's terribly early in the morning, but I need your help."

...

They all met at Hart Industries about twenty minutes later. Jennifer felt horrible about dragging Frank out of bed. "Frank, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you meeting me when I know you're not feeling well."

Frank waved his hand at the thought. "It's the least I can do since I'm the one they actually wanted." They talked as they walked, and Frank used his ID to let them into the secured electronics division. "Do you know who has Mr. Hart?"

Jennifer shook her head. "No, and Jonathan didn't give me any sort of clue, or not one that I could decipher anyway. The only thing he was adamant about was that I not hand over the information they want." She looked at the head of the department. "Can you tell me what Omniscient is? Jonathan told me it was something for the government, but beyond that, he said it was classified."

Frank shook his head. "I can't. It's top secret, and the only two people who have full clearance to this project are me and Mr. Hart and the government, of course. All of the people who've worked on it are only given their piece of the project."

"Mrs. H., we can't give something this big to those guys."

Jennifer turned on Max, and he knew not to take her blow up personally. "I know, Max. I can't give them what they want, but I also won't sign my husband's death warrant." She paced a bit. "Frank, if this project is so top secret, it has to be kept somewhere that only you and Jonathan have access to, right?"

"Yes. What are you getting at?"

"If I buy you some time, can you alter the blueprints and a prototype so that whatever this is doesn't work? You can make it look like it should work, but leave out something essential that no one else will be able to figure out."

Max beamed. "You're a genius, Mrs. H."

"I don't know about that, Max, and I'm not even sure I can convince them to bring Jonathan here, but I have to try."

Frank brought up a sticking point. "They obviously know I have access to the project, which is why they wanted me in the first place." He thought for a moment. "You said that they took Jonathan after he played Santa, right?"

"Yes. Who knew you were supposed to be Santa at the party last night?"

"Quite a few people. Someone who worked on the project had to have tipped them off, though. I hate that we have a mole at Hart Industries. Mr. Hart will take it personally." Frank thought a moment. "No one knew I wasn't going to be at the party last night, though. The stomach bug came on fiercely, and I barely left the bathroom from after lunch until about two hours before you called me. What's your plan to buy some time?"

"I'm supposed to get a call after nine this morning to let me know where to meet them and drop everything off. I'm going to tell them I can't get in, which I can't. Even though I sit on the board of directors, I don't have access to this section. Obviously, I can use someone's ID, but either you or Jonathan have to let me into the vault. If I make it sound like you're completely incapacitated, they'll have to bring Jonathan here to access what they want."

"Hey, that's a great idea. Think they'll go for it?"

"I hope so, Max. I'll fill Herschel in, so he and his men can be here to arrest them after Jonathan pulls what we need out of the vault."

Frank agreed to the plan and got to work on the altered blue prints and sabotage, just in case the kidnappers got away, while Jennifer and Max went back to the house to wait. She called Herschel from the mobile phone to relay her plan to him, and he told her he'd have men hidden throughout the building once he got the go-ahead from her.

Now Jennifer just had to wait for the phone call that would decide her husband's fate.

Chapter 3

Jennifer was wearing a hole in the oriental carpet under her feet as she waited for the phone to ring. When it finally did, she jumped a mile. Max picked it up and, in his gravelly voice, answered with his usual, "Hart residence."

"Mrs. Hart, please."

Max held out the receiver with his hand over the mouthpiece. "At least da bum's got good manners."

"This is Jennifer Hart."

"Mrs. Hart, I trust you have not involved the police."

Jennifer's voice had a bit of an edge to it. "No, I haven't, much to their consternation."

"Good. Then you have what we want?"

"No, I don't."

He made a tsking noise. "Ah, Mrs. Hart. I thought you were smarter than that."

Jennifer hoped she could make this convincing. "Oh, I am. My problem is that you aren't as smart as you're trying to be."

She could hear the anger in his voice. "I wouldn't insult the man holding a gun to your husband's head, Mrs. Hart."

Her tone was laced with sarcasm. "My apologies, but you asked me to obtain something owned by the United States Department of Defense." However, her next sentence put a hitch in her voice. "Please, don't hurt Jonathan. He's the only one who can get you what you want."

As Jonathan listened to the conversation through the speakerphone, he internally praised his wife's intelligence, because he was pretty sure he knew exactly what her plan was. "What do you mean he's the only one who can get what I want? Your husband owns the company. You sit on the Board of Directors."

"Yes, and he trusts me implicitly, but you're talking about plans for the government. They don't trust me. Frank and Jonathan are the only two people who have access to everything. All of the individuals who worked on it only had access to their parts. As for Frank, he can't help right now. He's been incapacitated with food poisoning. I tried calling him when I couldn't get into the lab, but his wife told me she was planning on having him admitted to the hospital." Jennifer knew she was a terrible liar, and she hoped that being on the phone gave her an advantage. When Max gave her a thumbs up, she figured she'd done as well as she could. "Jonathan is the only other person who can get into the lab and the vault."

"There has to be a way for you to gain access without your husband. Trying to stall will not end well for either of you."

Jennifer sighed loudly, as if she was explaining something extremely elementary for the fifth time. "You've met my husband. He's rather brilliant, and if the government tells him to safeguard something, that's exactly what he's going to do. I can gain access to the lab with the proper credentials, but I absolutely have no way to get into the vault. That can only be opened by Frank or Jonathan. Since Frank is unavailable, if you want what's in there, you'll have to have Jonathan obtain it for you."

She could hear the strain in his voice when he spit out, "Do not leave your house. We'll be in touch."

When she replaced the receiver, she looked at Max. "What do you think?"

The older man shrugged. "I dunno. You was convincing. I guess we wait on them."

...

Jonathan watched as his captor paced. "Your wife backed me into a corner. I never dreamed that she wouldn't have access to all corners of Hart Industries."

The CEO countered. "For the most part, Jennifer does, but like she mentioned, you want something that belongs to the Pentagon. They don't trust most people."

"Well, then I guess you'll have to work on your day off. We'll swing by and pick up the lovely Mrs. Hart on the way. If you want to make it home safely to her, you better hope that she's not stringing me along, and you better do as you're told."

Jonathan's heart stopped. "You've got me. You don't need her."

"On the contrary, Mr. Hart. She will keep you in line. Having her there will make sure you give me what I want because I think you two are on the same page. Neither wants the other to die."

The bound man gritted his teeth and gave his captor a stony stare. "Since you know who I am, I'm assuming you've also seen my wife. I have no intention of not getting home to her."

"Smart man." The door clicked as it shut, and Jonathan hoped Jennifer had more to her plan than just getting him to Hart Industries, but like she'd said, he trusted her implicitly.

...

An hour later, Jonathan, Jennifer, and three other gentlemen strode through the doors of the company Jonathan founded. James, one of the weekend security guards, greeted them. When he saw Jennifer in the building earlier in the wee hours of the morning, she'd explained only that she and Frank were working on something. She asked that if he saw them again, not to mention the previous visit. James had worked for Mr. Hart for too long to question either of them, especially when the people they were with didn't look very friendly. James had also already spoken with Lt. Grey and knew the position of every undercover cop in the building. He did his best to play his part. "Mr. Hart. It's rare to see you here on a Sunday."

"James, you know me. I hate working weekends, but when we have guests from out of town, sometimes it's the only time that works." Jonathan turned to the three men with him. "You'll all need to sign in to receive your visitor's badges."

While they were occupied, Jonathan turned to Jennifer. They'd been instructed not to speak to each other or touch each other, but Jennifer gave her husband a wink and a smile, which broadened when Jonathan pursed his bottom lip, his tell that he was trying to hold back a laugh. James handed out the badges. "Here you go, men. Please make sure they're visible while you're in the building."

When they reached the 14th floor, Jonathan used his badge to get them into the secured area. Once there, he tried to get them to release Jennifer again. "Look, we're here. I'm going to get you what you want. Just let my wife go."

Sam tightened his grip around Jennifer's bicep. "Ow. You're hurting me."

The man in charge gave Jonathan an oily smile. "Mr. Hart. Let's just get this over with. Get me what I want. Now. It's already taken far longer than it should have."

Nodding, Jonathan walked to the back of the lab, opened the vault, and pulled out what he needed. When he returned to the group, he placed the materials on the table and stepped back. Sam pushed Jennifer toward her husband, and he wrapped a protective arm around her. "Are you all right, Darling?"

"I'm fine." She ran her finger lightly over the gash above his right eye. "Are you all right?"

He nodded and would have said more, but they were interrupted. "Mr. & Mrs. Hart, it's been a pleasure working with you. Unfortunately, this is a short-lived partnership." He turned to his associates. "Sam, Jimmy, make it look like an accident."

Jennifer stepped forward. "You promised that you wouldn't hurt Jonathan if he did as you asked. You have what you want. Just let us go."

He picked everything up off the table and started to move toward the door. "Ah, such a sweet, trusting soul you are. Letting either of you go was never in the plan."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan caught a glimpse of Frank moving toward them. Suddenly, everything was in an uproar. Fists were flying, equipment was overturned, and from seemingly out of nowhere, two policemen dressed as janitors appeared. Jonathan got a couple of good punches in, the last one flattening the man behind the whole plan. Frank opened the door and let Lt. Grey and several other officers in to do the final reading of rights and cuffing.

Jennifer was snarled at before the men were hauled away. "You told me that you didn't involve the police."

She laughed and threw his words back at him. "Trusting you was never part of my plan."

Once the room was clear, with the exception of Herschel, Frank, and the Harts, the whole story came together. Frank told Jonathan how he'd adjusted one of the earlier prototypes and the blueprints, thanks to Jennifer's idea, and Herschel filled in the gaps of how the police were let in on the scheme. "Right now, we still don't know who they are. They filled in three phony names on the badge log-out."

Jonathan provided the first names of the associates. "The guy in charge called the other two Jimmy and Sam. I don't recognize any of them."

Herschel nodded and wrote down the two names he had. "Thanks. We'll get IDs on them when we get them to the station."

As they all rode the elevator down to the first floor, Jonathan pulled Jennifer into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Have I told you lately how brilliantly inventive you are?"

Her smirk rivaled his devilish grin. "Yes, but never in public."

Chapter 4

The next morning, regardless of it being Christmas Eve, a four-star general demanded a briefing at Hart Industries with Herschel Grey and Jonathan. When he finally got home several hours later, all Jonathan wanted to do was sit down with his wife by the fire, enjoy a Hot Buttered Rum, and not think of work for the next two weeks. It was exceptionally quiet when he walked into the house. "Darling? Max? Anybody home?"

He heard Jennifer call down from upstairs. "I'll be down in a minute, Darling." When she came downstairs, she found him in the kitchen. "How did the meeting go? Did you find out who the man was who kidnapped you?"

Jonathan was rummaging through the refrigerator. "Longer than I wanted it to, but General Allenton is satisfied that there was no major breach, and he was pretty impressed with your ingenuity." With his hands full, he turned, stared at his wife, and set everything on the counter. "Darling, what are you wearing?"

She giggled as he pursed his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "I'll tell you about my outfit in a minute. Finish telling me about your meeting."

He put his sandwich together as he talked. "My meeting. Right. We found our mole. Avery Furst. He was one of the people who worked on the initial housing of the components. He figured that he'd make more selling the information about the finished product than he would make working for me."

Jennifer shrugged as she went to the fridge and poured Jonathan a glass of milk. "And now he doesn't have a job or a payout."

"He doesn't have anything. They found him at his house with a bullet in his head. Housekeeping, I guess."

"How awful. Does he have a family?"

"His parents were informed, but he wasn't married. No kids either."

"What about the man who kidnapped you?"

Jonathan took a swig of milk to wash down his sandwich before he answered. "Someone Furst worked for down in Dallas. They stayed friendly after Avery moved up here, and when our project was mentioned, Leo Porval mentioned the millions they could make off of selling it to the highest bidder. Furst jumped at the easy money."

Jennifer sat for a minute. "Not that I wanted you to be kidnapped, but why did they go for Frank rather than you?"

"They figured Frank would cause less of a stir if he went missing, and he had the same access as I did, for now."

"For now?"

Jonathan nodded. "Um-hm. Once the project was completed and test runs were successful, I would change the vault codes and wait for the Department of Defense to make the pick-up." He finished his milk and took his dishes to the sink. Taking her hand, he led her to the living room. "Now, why are you wearing that unusually festive robe?"

Jennifer laughed but added a bit of a pout. "Why? Don't you like it?" She earned a raised eyebrow from her husband. "Well, the other night, you asked if I'd like to play Mrs. Claus, and since I had a couple of free hours this morning, I bought a Mrs. Claus outfit. You're sure you don't like it?"

He took in his wife's attire from head to toe. She had on what looked to be a full-length red velvet robe with a red satin sash and white fur trim at the collar, cuffs, and hem. It covered her completely. Winging an eyebrow up at her again, he tried not to chuckle. "It's very cute." As he sat on the couch, he patted the spot next to him. "Where's Max?"

"Oh, he took us up on our birthday present a little early. He, Ernie, Big, and Lou all headed to Reno for Christmas."

Wrapping his arms around her as she settled next to him, he looked down at her, confusion on his face. "Ernie's wife let him go?"

Jennifer laughed. "I asked Max the same thing. He told me Ernie might have to sleep in the dog house after they get back."

Jonathan nodded. "That sounds like her. Better Ernie than me."

She wrapped her arms around his. "Oh, no, Buster. You're not going anywhere except right next to me."

He kissed her temple. "I think I can handle that." He noticed one tear trickling down her cheek, so he turned her toward him and ran his thumb along her jaw. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She shook her head. "I don't know why I'm emotional now. You're home safe and sound. I guess I was just thinking how often I take moments like this for granted." She plucked at the fur on one of her cuffs. "When I came home Saturday night without you, the house felt so empty."

He echoed her thoughts from that night. "I know what you mean. When the Steele brothers had you, the house didn't feel like home." Suddenly, he extricated himself from her embrace and hopped off the sofa. Going to the tree, he plucked a brightly wrapped present from under it and brought it back to her. "Open this."

"Jonathan, we normally don't exchange presents on Christmas Eve."

He shrugged. "I know, but tonight is a bit different, and you've got plenty more for in the morning."

She peeled the shiny silver wrapping off carefully and would have laid it aside, but Jonathan grabbed it and tossed it on the floor. Laughing at her husband's impatience, she lifted the lid on the black velvet case to find a beautiful heart-shaped locket nestled inside. When Jennifer opened it, she laughed with abandon at the photo. "Darling, it's perfect."

He flipped it over for her. "Read the inscription."

"My favorite Hart."

Jonathan's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I have to admit, it hurt a little knowing the truth of it, but Freeway is your favorite."

She kissed her husband, soundly. "Aww. I think you're a pretty close second."

"You do, huh?"

"Um-hm." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "I think I remember promising you that you could open a present early the other night."

His ocean blue eyes turned as dark as a stormy sea with his desire. "I do remember that. I should have punched Leo a second time for keeping me from that alone."

Jennifer laughed. "Calm down, Rocky. You still get your present."

Jonathan leaned over and brushed his lips over his wife's. Not completely satisfied, he deepened the kiss and teased her tongue with his. "Is my present under the tree?"

She tried to focus on her husband's words, but his mouth had found that little spot on her neck that drove her wild. "Uh-uh."

As his hands ran up her body, he pushed her gently back onto the sofa. "Is my present under me?"

Threading her fingers through his hair, she nodded. "Uh-huh."

Slowly, tantalizingly, he untied the red satin ribbon before pushing each button through the corresponding button hole. As he parted the robe, Jennifer watched his reaction to what she had on underneath. Gently, he ran a finger along the strapless, fur-lined bodice of her slightly naughty Mrs. Claus outfit, which was hidden under her nice one. "Darling, you have to stand up so I can get the full visual of this."

She did as she was asked and again, watched as her husband drank her in from head to toe. Her outfit consisted of a strapless, red velvet dress with white corset ribbons in the front and back, along with white fur trim on the bodice and hem. The short skirt barely covered her behind, and as she turned a full circle, Jonathan caught a glimpse of red lace. Her grin was as cheeky as her skirt. "So, do you like this Mrs. Claus outfit better?"

He quickly shed his clothing. "Does this answer your question?"

Laughing, she crooked her finger at him. "Uh-huh."

He grabbed a couple of pillows and two blankets and spread one out in front of the fireplace. While the fire crackled, he kissed his wife senseless, mating his mouth with hers, running his hands gently up and down her body, and making her want in a way only he could. "Darling, you manage to fulfill fantasies I didn't even know I had." He ran his thumb along her jaw. "Was this the present from the other night?"

She nodded. "Um-hm. I bought the robe this morning just to tease you."

He smiled down at her. "You looked adorable, but I definitely like this part of the outfit better." He slid her panties down her legs and rolled so that she straddled him. "And I definitely like this view of you in it."

When Jennifer rocked against him, she robbed him of all coherent thought. He ran his hands up her slim waist and freed her breasts from the confines of the strapless bodice. The only thought in his head centered around what a vision his wife was as she rode him in red velvet. Between the way she looked and the way she felt, Jonathan knew he wouldn't last long, so he thrust into her as deeply as he could until he felt her tighten. When her body shuddered and his name escaped her lips, he let go with a euphoric masculine grunt and fell with her.

Snuggling her into his side, he put one of the pillows under his head and covered them with the second blanket. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Hart."

"Merry Christmas, Darling. I hope Santa brings you something good tonight."

"He'll never be able to bring me anything better than you."

"Aww." She kissed him one last time as they drifted off in front of the fire.

_~the end_

_Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!_


End file.
